CELEBRATING WOMEN IN CANADIAN MANUFACTURING - CME'S 5TH ANNUAL WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING SUCCESS FORUM

OTTAWA, ON, March 7, 2022 /CNW/ - Today marks the first day of the 5^th Annual Women in Manufacturing Success Forum organized by Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). The weeklong virtual event, taking place from March 7-11, 2022, is aimed at engaging and inspiring young women to consider careers in manufacturing, helping manufacturers attract and retain women in their workplaces, and empowering, supporting, and accelerating women in the industry.

"The importance of role models cannot be overstated. To me, having women see how I can maneuver through and how integrated I am is so meaningful. It is the only way women can really say, 'I can do this.' This is exactly what CME's Women in Manufacturing Success Forum is all about – exposing women to the wide range of career opportunities in manufacturing," said Angela Pappin, Chief Transformation Officer, ArcelorMittal Dofasco North America, and Chair of CME's Women in Manufacturing Advisory Committee.

Keynote speakers include: The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Disability Inclusion; Mandy Rennehan, CEO & Founder of Freshco.ca, Contractor & Designer for HGTV's Trading Up; and Jamie McMillan, Founder of KickAss Careers, Ironworker, and Apprentice Boilermaker.

"With your support, we helped raise the total number of jobs held by women in manufacturing by 41,000, moving a number that remained static for decades. However, the adverse effects of COVID-19 on women's employment mean that our work is not yet done. In Canada, women account for 48 per cent of the labour force, but still only 28 per cent of the manufacturing workforce. CME's forum this week has me extremely excited to hear from leaders in the manufacturing sector and participants across Canada about how we can attract more women to our sector," said Dennis Darby, President and CEO of CME.

Register: To attend CME's 5^th Annual Women in Manufacturing Success Forum, click here.

Get Inspired: Women from across Canada, including Tracy Spear, Heidi Reimer-Epp, Angela Pappin, and May Scally, are sharing their inspiring stories and how they are making a difference in manufacturing.

QUICK FACTS

• The manufacturing sector represents more than 10% of Canada's gross domestic product.
• Manufacturers directly support more than 1.7 million jobs in Canada.
• The total manufacturing sales in 2019 surpassed $685 B.

SOURCE Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

Jane Taber, Vice President, Public Affairs NATIONAL Public Relations, C: 902-209-9512 | [email protected]